


Estuary

by YouAreNana



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blacksmithing, Conflict, Elves, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Slow Burn, gardener!jungwoo, luwoo is a prominent sideship, this is lowkey cottagecore ngl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-22 02:20:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30031539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouAreNana/pseuds/YouAreNana
Summary: Jaehyun and Taeyong should not be friends. In fact, they should never even have met. Jaehyun is human and Taeyong is an elf and the two species do not get along. At all. The boy's friendship - which must be kept a secret - faces not only the passage of time, the changing of temperament, but the unyielding pressure of the status quo as well.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 23
Kudos: 30





	1. an tús

**Author's Note:**

> y'all, i'm nervous. never written fantasy before! 
> 
> oh, also: Taeyong's name is actually Teaghue (Irish for poet) in this story, but i'm just gonna refer to him as 'Taeyong' in the text to make everyone's life easier.

Leaves and small twigs crackled under Jaehyun’s feet as he walked along the forest floor, hands tucked deep in the pockets of his coat. The light of the midafternoon sun shone through the multi-colored leaves overhead casting everything around him in the faintest red. He drank in the serenity of his surroundings hungrily, eager for it. He seldom had an opportunity such as this to take a break from work, to just be. As the apprentice of the local blacksmith, he worked steadily from morning till evening every day save the day of rest. But, by then, he was too exhausted to do anything _other_ than rest.

At this point, it seemed as though months had passed since he was last outside for anything more than a few minutes before sunset. Today was different only because the blacksmith’s wife had gone into labor and he chose to close up shop early. Jaehyun, despite knowing it was selfish, delighted in the news and bolted to the woods as soon as he was excused. Thinking back, he wondered if he should have acted less abruptly. No doubt his teacher was excited by the prospect of a baby, but he must also be terribly nervous. Childbirth so often ended in sorrow.

A rock, appearing from nowhere on the path before him, drew Jaehyun from his thoughts. He scanned his surroundings, eyes falling on a clearing to the east. He hurried towards it, surprised to discover a small meadow among the trees. Stepping into the longer grass, Jaehyun inhaled the heady scent of wildflowers. A light breeze brushed his face and tossed his dark hair. Jaehyun replied by sending out one sustained note into the air around him, marveling at how different it sounded from when he sang indoors.

When a voice, nasally and hesitant, called out a string of unintelligible sounds, Jaehyun froze, his head snapping left and right in confusion.

“Hello? Who’s there?” he shouted, both trying to keep the fear out of his voice and hoping the person would understand him.

“Oh, hello,” the voice responded, now in Jaehyun’s tongue. “I suppose you do not know what I said before. I apologize for startling you.” The person’s pronunciation and word choice were stilted and overly formal.

Jaehyun was about to start protesting that he’d made noise first when he caught sight of someone rising from the grass and walking towards him. Immediately, he fell silent. They had a slender frame, sharp features, large, dark eyes, and silvery white hair. Their clothing, billowy and light, reminded Jaehyun of the delicate webs he often brushed from the windows in his house. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his entire life. They were also, undoubtedly, an elf. Though he’d only ever seen elves in books at school, Jaehyun just knew this person had to be one of them. Which was not good. Since early childhood, Jaehyun had only ever been taught that elves were cruel and arrogant, that they disdained humans and wished for their nonexistence. He had been taught to hate and fear them.

“You are staring. You wish to know my gender, do you not?” The elf tilted their head, smiling softly.

For a moment, Jaehyun considered not answering. Should he even be talking to an elf? He knew his mother would certainly say no. But this elf didn’t seem threatening. In fact, Jaehyun found their presence almost soothing, certainly peaceful.

“No. I mean, yes, but that wasn’t what I was thinking of just now,” Jaehyun cringed at the jumbled mess of his words.

“I am a boy,” the elf supplied. “Are you?”

Jaehyun snorted before catching himself. “Uh, yes, I am.”

The elf nodded, “What were you thinking of a moment ago?” His eyebrows, a darker shade than his hair, rose inquisitively.

Jaehyun tensed at the question. He couldn’t explain without saying something the elf might take offense at. He would have to fabricate. Quickly.

“I was wondering how your hair is so white. You don’t seem that old…” Jaehyun trailed off, embarrassed at what his brain had come up with as a diversion.

But the elf seemed to take it in stride, as he seemed to be taking the whole situation. His calmness astounded Jaehyun, making him even more painfully aware of his own anxiety. “I was born with this hair. None of my people have natural hair pigment.”

“Wow,” Jaehyun breathed. “It’s beautiful.” He grimaced at himself, dismayed at the continuing malfunction of his mouth.

The elf blushed, his cheeks suffusing with a brilliant red. “Thank you—” he paused momentarily, “What are you called?”

A voice in his head warned Jaehyun not to divulge such information. But, as with the initial decision to converse with the elf at all, he chose the less advisable option.

“My name’s Jaehyun. What’s yours?”

Taeyong mouthed Jaehyun’s name, rolling the syllables along his lips and nodding to himself. “Jaehyun. It is lovely. I am Teaghue, which would be Taeyong in your language. You may call me that.”

“It is nice to meet you, Taeyong.” With each word he spoke, talking to Taeyong became easier. “Why do you know Qorian?”

“We learn it in school,” Taeyong’s tone rose with excitement. “It is my favorite class and I work very diligently in it. But I have never been able to practice with someone who speaks it natively.” Realizing he had touched upon the subject of their differing species, Taeyong visibly sobered. 

Jaehyun felt an inexplicable, and irresistible, need to reassure him. “I am honored to be the first. I’m sorry that I don’t speak Elvish – we don’t take it in school.”

Still looking uneasy, Taeyong replied quietly, “Oh, I suppose that makes sense.” Something about the way Taeyong articulated the sentence rubbed Jaehyun the wrong way.

“What do you mean? What do you mean it ‘makes sense’?” Jaehyun didn’t mean to sound demanding but his nerves were very much still out of control.

Taeyong shrunk in on himself a little bit at Jaehyun’s fervor, “You humans, you do not spend much time learning the ways of others. Your focus is primarily upon yourself.”

Jaehyun’s hackles rose further and he was more than ready to counter Taeyong’s statement when he realized that the elf really wasn’t far wrong. Most people he knew, with a few exceptions of course, were selfish or at least heavily self-interested. And he had no recollection of learning anything about elves other than that they were bad and that he must avoid them.

“You’re right,” he said. “That’s how many humans are. But not everyone. I think there some of us who want to learn more, but we’re never given the chance.”

Taeyong suddenly met Jaehyun’s eyes, “Are you one of them?”

Jaehyun gulped at the intensity of Taeyong’s onyx gaze. “I-I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve really thought about it until now.”

“Would you like to be?” Taeyong asked questions with a pointedness reminiscent of a well-sharpened knife. Jaehyun struggled to maintain his cool.

“Yes,” he cleared his throat to steady himself. “I mean, just meeting you now has changed so many things for me. Like, you’re not a monster.” Jaehyun clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent anything else inflammatory from coming out of it.

Taeyong chuckled, “No, I am not a monster. I will not harm you. In fact, I heal people.”

“You’re a healer?” Jaehyun could not help the admiration in his voice. “Do you use magic?”

Instead of responding verbally, Taeyong gestured for Jaehyun to extend his left hand, which he took with his own. With the other, he extracted a small vile of powder from a pocket hidden in the folds of his clothes. Uncapping it, he poured a little bit over a scratch on Jaehyun’s finger and whispered something inaudible under his breath. The scratch, miraculously, began to heal leaving Jaehyun’s skin unmarred.

“Holy shit!” he cried. “That is so unbelievably cool. I almost want to cut myself so you can do it again.”

Taeyong blanched, “Oh no, please do not.”

Jaehyun shook his head, “Don’t worry, I’m kidding.” Taeyong appeared to believe him, his features regaining color.

“What is ‘shit’?” he enquired, with no emotion besides curiosity.

“It’s a swear word. It means excrement, and a lot of other things,” Jaehyun laughed. “God, I have already taught you to swear.”

Taeyong beamed mischievously before twirling with grace, “Shit, shit, shit.”

The sight, both comical and endearing, sent Jaehyun into distressed hysterics. When he finally gathered himself together, he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and said with feigned sternness, “You can’t say that. It’s very rude.”

“You said it first,” Taeyong smiled with self-satisfaction before growing shy again. “Is it all right that I used my healing powers on you? I realize now that I should have asked for your consent before proceeding. I got ahead of myself in an effort to impress you.”

Jaehyun gaped at Taeyong’s frankness. Were all elves this forthcoming? Or was honesty a personal trait of Taeyong’s? His mind began wandering down that path and he had to pull it back swiftly, refocusing on Taeyong as he stood before him. “Yes, it was more than okay. Thank you!”

Visibly relieved, Taeyong ran a hand through his hair, “I am glad. You are welcome.” Jaehyun watched as he twiddled with the bouquet still clutched in his other hand.

“You came here to gather flowers?”

“Yes, I collect them for my brother, he loves to have a fresh vase in the house,” Taeyong brought the blossoms to his nose and then extended them towards Jaehyun to enjoy as well.

“You come here a lot, then?” He gently pressed on Taeyong’s hand, silently telling him to withdraw the flowers.

“Quite often, yes. I was here but three days ago. What about you?” Taeyong’s hair glinted in the sunlight as he tilted his head.

“I don’t come here ever, really, because I am usually working,” Jaehyun admitted reluctantly.

“Oh,” Taeyong seemed saddened. “Does that mean I will not see you again?” 

“No,” Jaehyun found himself saying immediately. “I will come again. I finish work early on Fridays; I will come then.” It was an impulsive promise, the kind Jaehyun was unaccustomed to making. But he balked at the prospect of disappointing Taeyong.

“Which day is Friday?” Taeyong asked. “We have different names for our days of the week.”

“Right, of course. Friday is four days from now.”

Taeyong’s lit up, “Our day of birds! I feel a great affinity for that day.” Jaehyun struggled to hold in a chuckle at the way Taeyong spoke. He reminded Jaehyun of the aristocrats who sometimes stopped by the smithy to order custom gates or wind vanes for their manors. Such speech, given Taeyong’s appearance, was downright bizarre.

“I like it too – mostly because I get a break,” Jaehyun rolled his eyes at how one-dimensional his life was beginning to seem.

Taeyong pursed his lips, “Shall I come in the afternoon, just as I have today?”

“Sure.” To Jaehyun the whole situation was becoming increasingly surreal. Why was he signing away his precious hours of rest to a complete stranger? An _elf,_ no less!

“I am glad.” The sincerity in Taeyong’s voice was unmistakable and undoubtedly played some role in Jaehyun’s willingness to befriend him. “I think I will return home now. I am very pleased to have met you.” He inclined his head in a slight bow.

Jaehyun matched the gesture. “Yeah, me too. I’ll see you Friday, I guess?” Suddenly, he felt awkward, not knowing where to put his hands and ending up twisting them behind his back.

Taeyong smiled warmly, pulling one flower from his bundle, and handing it to Jaehyun, “Here, please have this. Goodbye.” As Jaehyun accepted the flower, a little dumbfounded, Taeyong turned fluidly and strolled away, his footsteps noiseless.

Jaehyun, daisy grasped between his thumb and forefinger, stared after him. When the elf disappeared completely from view, Jaehyun blinked and shook his head, as if to clear it. Standing in the now vacant clearing, he couldn’t quite tell if what had just transpired had really happened or if it were nothing more than an especially vivid daydream. Only the flower succeeded in convincing him that Taeyong was, in fact, real.

🍂

With something to look forward to, Jaehyun found work less tedious. However, the blacksmith admonished him many times for what he perceived as absentmindedness.

“Jaehyun, boy, snap out of it. I don’t know what you’re fantasizing about, but you need to get yourself together,” Minho said, wrenching a pair of tongs from Jaehyun’s hands and setting them aside. “You can’t half-ass it when you’re working with fire.”

Jaehyun flushed with embarrassment, “Right, sorry, sir. I’ll focus now.”

Minho gave him a quizzical look, “Are you all right? You’re not sick, are you? Also, how many times do I have to tell you that _you don’t have to call me ‘sir_ ’?”

“No, I’m okay. Just a little out of it. I’ll be okay, I promise,” Jaehyun insisted, not wanting Minho to ask him any further questions. “I know you keep telling me, but it’s instinctual, you know?”

“Mm, try harder. Every time you say it, I feel like I get ten years older.” Minho picked up the tongs and returned them to Jaehyun. “Get back to work, kid.”

“On it.” Jaehyun resumed his task, careful to appear as though he was concentrating fully. His mind kept threatening to drift Taeyong-ward and he kept yanking it back. By the end of the day, he was as mentally exhausted as he was physically fatigued. At dinner, he struggled to maintain wakefulness as his mother asked her usual pleasant questions about his day. He answered her in monosyllables, wolfing his food down so he could be excused and escape to his bedroom. To sleep.

As he left the table, he could sense his mother casting glances at him with concern in her eyes. He disliked worrying her, but he couldn’t easily explain his current predicament. Not without telling her about Taeyong. Which was impossible – his mother harbored the customary ill-will towards elves. If she knew about his new friend (Jaehyun wondered if it were really fair to call him that – after all, they had only met once) she would do her best to ensure Jaehyun never saw him again.

Thus, without a word, Jaehyun hurried to his room and readied himself for bed as quickly as his depleted energy supply would allow. Just as he was tugging the covers up to his chin, his mother opened the door to his room and poked her head in.

“Good night, my love. Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Sitting up on his elbows, Jaehyun could just see the lines of her smiling face through the dark.

“Thanks, mom, I’m good for now. Good night.” To reassure her, he blew a kiss, making her chuckle.

“I love you, Jae. Sleep well.”

“I love you too, mom.” The door scraped against the floorboards as his mother drew it closed and Jaehyun laid back against the pillows once more. He gazed at the ceiling, suddenly unable to quiet his mind. He tried to imagine the positions of the stars in the night sky above the house to lull himself towards slumber. Instead, flickering images of boy with snowy hair and pointed ears flashed before his eyes.

Taeyong seemed to have imprinted upon Jaehyun’s brain and now he couldn’t shake him. It didn’t help that he didn’t really want to. There was something about Taeyong, beyond his appearance, that enraptured him. Jaehyun was not a naturally curious person, preferring to let life unfold around him as it saw fit, but he could not deny that he was curious about Taeyong. As he wrestled with insomnia, Jaehyun prayed silently that Friday would arrive faster so he could ask the elf all the questions he was now dreaming up rather than _actually_ dreaming.

Only when he forced himself to count sheep – a strategy often belittled but one he found quite effective - did Jaehyun fall into a restless slumber.

🍂

A series of three swift knocks on the front door interrupted Jaehyun’s breakfast. Motioning for his mother to remain seated, he rose to attend to the caller.

“Good morning!” Johnny greeted excitedly when Jaehyun let him in. “I came to eat breakfast with you.” He waved at Jaehyun’s mother and she returned the gesture with a smile. “I see you’ve already started – may I join?”

“I don’t know what’s keeping you from eating the food in your own damn house, but sure,” Jaehyun replied just as his mother beckoned to Johnny encouragingly.

“I have to eat alone there!” As a carpentry apprentice, Johnny did not need to wake up as early as his parents and brother, all of whom worked on their family’s farm. By the time he wished to have breakfast, everyone else had already set out for the day.

“Fine, but don’t make it a habit, and I hope you like leftovers,” Jaehyun handed Johnny the half of a boiled egg he’d been eating before the other boy arrived.

Jaehyun’s mother began fussing immediately, cutting a fresh slice of bread for their guest, “Johnny, dear, please ignore Jaehyun. You can come whenever you like!”

“Mom,” Jaehyun groaned. “Don’t be nice to him, he just wants to steal all of our food.”

Johnny and his mother chuckled together conspiratorially in response, leaving Jaehyun no choice but to glare at them in exaggerated discontent as he finished his meal. After helping his mother clean up the table, the two boys donned their shoes and set off together. The carpenter’s shop was a few doors down from the blacksmith, meaning they often accompanied one another to and from work, chatting along the way.

“How is Mr. Choi’s baby?” Johnny asked.

“Good he said. And loud,” Jaehyun replied. “He has complained about how much noise she makes at least seven different times.”

Johnny laughed, “Mr. Choi would be one to bitch and moan about his baby while also being totally in love with her. His wife is okay too?”

“Yeah, apparently she’s recovering quickly. Do you think she’d like flowers?” Jaehyun couldn’t be sure where the question came from, but he was unable to resist the urge to ask it.

Johnny rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “I mean, you know her better than I do, but I’m going to go with yes. It would be a nice gesture!”

“Mm,” Jaehyun nodded, visions of collecting flowers for Mrs. Choi with Taeyong dancing in his head. “Have you finished your cabinet yet?”

“Almost,” Johnny began kicking a pebble along in front of them. “I screwed up on one of the panels, so I had to redo it. Making one fucking cabinet was hard enough, how can anyone expect me to make a whole kitchen’s worth?”

“Maybe you should have thought of that _before_ you decided to become a carpenter.”

The sentiment earned Jaehyun a shove from Johnny which he returned, prompting a brief exchange of blows. At the smithy, Johnny patted Jaehyun on the head before the shorter boy could stop him and cantered off to his own place of work, Jaehyun yelling half-meant insults in his wake.

Jaehyun paused on the threshold, banishing all Taeyong-related thoughts from his mind. When he entered at last, Minho and the other apprentice, Jeno, were already there. Minho was showing Jeno how to make a horseshoe and Jaehyun joined them, marveling at the blacksmith’s dexterity as he bent and shaped the metal.

“Good of you to grace us with your presence,” Minho said without looking up.

Hugging Jeno as he spoke, Jaehyun protested, “I’m not even late. You two are just early.”

“If you arrive after I do, you’re late.” Minho flipped the horseshoe deftly so he could tap the underside.

“How does that even make sense, s—” Jaehyun caught himself and Minho finally lifted his head.

“You’re learning! Now, take over for me with this shoe,” Minho switched positions with Jaehyun, “Jeno, watch out, he’s prone to daydreaming.”

Jeno giggled and Jaehyun elbowed him before carrying out Minho’s request, pausing occasionally to explain some thing or another. Jeno, an attentive and quick-witted student, watched Jaehyun closely and asked considered questions. When he was ready to make his own, it came out remarkably well for a first attempt.

“Holy shit,” Jaehyun exclaimed. “That’s world’s better than my first horseshoe.”

Jeno blushed, “No, no, Jaehyun, I’m sure yours was very good, too.”

“It wasn’t.” Minho had reemerged from the back of the smithy and was inspecting Jeno’s work. Jaehyun, used to the unending onslaught of slander, and Jeno, dismayed but too shy to say anything about it, searched Minho’s face for signs of approval.

“Yours is much better, Jeno. At least one of you will become a decent blacksmith.” As if to emphasize his point, Minho flicked Jaehyun’s forehead while pinching Jeno’s cheek affectionately.

“If I’m so bad at smithing, then why don’t you just kick me out?” Jaehyun asked petulantly, mirth glinting in his eyes.

“Very funny. But, no. You’re not getting out of work that easily,” Minho clasped both boys around their shoulders and squeezed. “Come on, children, we have fire pokers to make!”

“Not again,” Jaehyun and Jeno moaned simultaneously.

“Yes, again, and again, and again, as demand requires,” Minho sang, separating himself from his apprentices and working the bellows to rekindle the fire. The boys reluctantly joined him, and the day’s work began in earnest.


	2. malartán

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong's perspective. A second meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feeling Generous. here's chapter 2!!!

Despite numerous warnings against it, Taeyong often wandered far beyond the expanse of forest his people resided in. Today, he had ventured farther than he’d ever gone before. But the risk of incurring his mothers’ ire had been worth it. He'd met a human. Jaehyun.

Taeyong knew of humans all throughout his life. His elders mentioned them with frequency and Taeyong’s teachers had included their culture and language in their lessons. Elves were curious and yet concerned about humans, for these other beings lived with such destruction. They seemed to be continually destroying one another or the world around them. Subsequently, Taeyong’s impression of humans was that they were brutish, ungrateful, and violent. To mingle with them was to invite danger upon oneself. Thus, when he stumbled upon a human boy in the woods, he was unsure whether he should run or not. 

He couldn’t quite say why he’d stayed, why he’d spoken with Jaehyun. But within moments of meeting him, Taeyong knew that Jaehyun wasn’t like the humans his elders and teachers spoke of. Jaehyun seemed gentle, kind. Taeyong could detect a hint of the roughness he’d expected but it was countered by the mellifluousness of Jaehyun’s voice and the openness of his manner. 

Their conversation, however brief, opened doors after doors in Taeyong’s mind. Calling into question one assumption after the other. By the time they’d parted, promising to meet again — a promise that, inexplicably, made Taeyong’s heart soar — Taeyong felt overwhelmed, excited, and exhausted all at the same time. 

Now, hurrying through the trees as the final rays of the setting sun chased behind him, Taeyong was glad of the time to process what had just occurred. He did not enjoy working through something stimulating or new when in the presence of others. He loved his family very dearly but preferred to ponder alone. And once he reached home, it would be continuous exposure to them all until he went to bed. 

Knowing he was a matter of minutes from reaching the clutch of shelters in which he lived, Taeyong chose to dedicate them to Jaehyun. He tried to picture what he could remember of the boy’s face. Jaehyun had dark hair, light brown eyes, and a sturdy build. He had been taken aback by that last part. He was unaccustomed to seeing someone near his own age with so much muscle. Elves usually did not pursue such a body shape and if they did, they were rarely able to accomplish it until their thirties. Thus, Jaehyun’s proportions shocked him ever so slightly. Taeyong would be embarrassed to admit that he’d found him rather...lovely. 

Dismayed by the trajectory of his thoughts, he admonished himself and instead focused on what Jaehyun had said. Especially about “work” which Taeyong took to be some sort of human equivalent to what he did as a healer. But he enjoyed being a healer — Jaehyun seemed to loathe whatever it was that he did. Taeyong could not understand this: he and everyone he knew cherished their callings. Of course, there were days which brought anguish, but on the whole elves were content and pleased with their respective gifts. His brother delighted in the plants he grew; one of his mothers dedicated herself with her whole heart to her service in the High Council; and the other gladly spent her days concocting cakes, cookies, and other confections for her family, her friends, and her neighbors to eat. He did not know how he would go about it, but he wished to ask Jaehyun more about this mystery. Eventually.

“T! You’re finally back, what took you so long?” Jungwoo ran directly into Taeyong, encircling his brother’s waist with his arms. 

“I went a little further than I expected.” Taeyong, an awful liar, had to keep as close to the truth as he could while also revealing as little as possible. 

“Mother said not to do that!” Jungwoo cried. “I’m going to tell her you haven’t been listening again.”

Taeyong pinched him. “No, you are not.” 

“How are you gonna stop me, huh?” Jungwoo had released Taeyong and was now dancing around him, a grin on his face. 

“Simple. If you tell her about what I did then I’ll tell Mama that it was you who stole the rhubarb candies last week.” Taeyong chuckled when the blood drained from Jungwoo’s face and his eyes grew very round.

“Oh, no. No, you can’t tell her. She’ll skewer me!” His little brother pleaded, no longer a picture of childish mischief. 

“Exactly, which is why you should do as I say and speak nothing of my wandering. Got it?” Taeyong patted Jungwoo’s hair to lessen the blow.

“Got it,” Jungwoo mumbled, shying away from Taeyong’s hand. “Let’s go inside. Mama said dinner’s almost ready.”

“Take your flowers first,” Taeyong suggested, handing over the bouquet.

“Eek, thank you!” Jungwoo clutched the blooms to his chest before spinning and rushing inside in search of a vase.

Taeyong followed his brother into their house where he was immediately greeted with the aromas of his mother’s cooking and the sight of a table neatly laid out. His other mother, the one they called ‘Mother’, was already seated and she nodded to her sons in greeting as they entered.

“Jungwoo, thank you for finding your brother,” she said, tossing Taeyong a glance that indicated she would have preferred him home earlier. 

“It wasn’t hard, he was right outside!” Jungwoo took his seat beside her and immediately began chomping rather delicately on a deep purple carrot which he extracted from the assortment of vegetables before him.

“Child, if you keep appearing just in time for dinner, I’m going to start thinking you only love me for my food,” Mama placed a steaming tray of pheasant wings in the middle of the table as she spoke, her voice teasing and light. While Mother was stricter in her bearing and speech, Mama was bubbly and expressively good-natured. 

“Oh, come on, as if I don’t also love you for making my bed and cleaning my clothes.” Taeyong screeched and leaned hard to his left, almost falling out of his chair, when his mother gestured threateningly at him with a large wooden spoon.

Jungwoo dissolved into highly entertained giggles and Mother shook her head affectionately as they looked on. Such antics were customary at their meals, especially when there were no guests and thus no one to convince with a guise of propriety. 

“So, what’d you do besides picking flowers?” Jungwoo asked around a mouthful of pheasant. 

Choosing his words carefully, Taeyong replied, “Really not a lot. I mostly just went where my feet took me. I met a few birds and a doe though!” Taeyong smiled at the recollection: he adored animals. He had several animal companions who lived nearby and visited at least once a day, occasionally requesting to spend the night tucked in Taeyong’s bed. No one in his family would forget the time he’d allowed two orphaned wolf pups to live in his room for a few weeks. Not only were they very loud, they also insisted on sticking their inquisitive little snouts _everywhere_. When Taeyong finally found a wolf mother who agreed to care for them, everyone was sad but relieved to see them go. Of course, they returned at least three or four times a year to see Taeyong. 

“I want you to be careful when you’re out there stumbling about, okay?” Mother was trying to keep the concern out of her voice, but Taeyong, familiar with it after so many years, picked up on the emotion immediately. He felt chastened, but only slightly. He was increasingly beginning to question the validity of his mother’s fears.

“Yes, Mother, I will,” he promised anyway, mostly to put her mind at ease. “You don’t have to worry.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Mm, I’ll reconsider that after you’ve demonstrated to me that I have sufficient reason not to.”

“Jisoo, let the boy eat in peace,” Mama urged. “He knows to be good.”

Before Mother could reply, Jungwoo cut in, “My sweet potatoes have sprouted!” 

“When?” Taeyong loved to speak with his brother about whatever he was growing because Jungwoo always lit up like a miniature star. 

“Just this morning! I checked on them shortly before noon and there are shoots! They are green and so tiny,” Jungwoo’s cheeks flushed with excitement as he talked. 

“After dinner, you’ll have to take us to look at them,” Jisoo suggested. 

“How long until they’re ready for harvest?” Taeyong asked. 

“Taeil said no fewer than four cycles of the moon,” Jungwoo’s expression darkened, “which is kind of far away.” 

“It’ll be here in no time, Woo,” Mama said reassuringly. “In the meantime, your apple trees are blossoming.” 

“I know!” Jungwoo shrieked, cheeriness restored. “I can’t wait until they’re all in flower. They’ll be so beautiful.”

Taeyong, finishing his meal, couldn’t help but beam at his little brother as he gushed over his favorite of earth’s inhabitants: plants. Their gifts matched beautifully — Jungwoo could grow the herbs and flowers and Taeyong could transform them into medicines and tinctures. 

Once everyone had collectively cleared the table, they strolled out into the garden where Jungwoo proudly presented his minuscule sweet potato sprouts to a round of raucous applause. Taeyong marveled to think they’d be big enough to eat within weeks, fed by the soil and cared for lovingly by Jungwoo. 

Later that night, Taeyong lay in bed, swaddled in silky sheets and a light blanket, and wondered if he’d actually ever be able to fall asleep. The knock on his door told him it wouldn’t be any time soon.

“Come in,” he whispered, shifting aside in the bed to make room for Jungwoo who scurried in and curled up with his head under Taeyong’s chin. 

“Hi,” he said into Taeyong’s neck. 

“Is something the matter? Or are you just here to take up space in my bed?” 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Jungwoo paused. “Okay, well, there’s one thing but it’s silly.”

“Tell me.”

“Um, well, you know how I don’t have many friends?” Taeyong tried to interrupt, but Jungwoo covered his mouth. “Yes, I have you, but you’re my brother. That doesn’t count. I don’t really have any close friends, so I–I get lonely sometimes. Like when you go to do things, I want to have a friend to be with.” 

Taeyong was touched and more than a little concerned that he hadn’t realized this issue sooner himself, “Jungwoo, I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to be lonely. Ever. What about our neighbors or other kids who learn with you?” 

“I get so shy with them. And I think some of them are hesitant to approach me because of Mother. I think they think I’m gonna tell on them or something. I don’t know…” Jungwoo trailed off. 

“That’s okay, the being shy part, I mean. The thing about Mother — did someone say something to you?”

“No, no,” Taeyong could feel Jungwoo shaking his head against his chest. “It’s just, like, a feeling I get.”

“I don’t want you to disregard that feeling entirely, but there’s a chance it’s mostly your mind playing tricks on you. Some of the neighbors are lovely, I’m sure. Perhaps they’re shy too.” Jungwoo scoffed and Taeyong tugged on his hair to shush him. “If you want, we can spend some time with them together. Would that make it better?”

“Yes, I think so,” Jungwoo said quietly. “I want to be friends with Yuta, but he seems so scary.”

“Damn, you know how to pick them,” Taeyong laughed. “Yuta does look kinda menacing. But I know he’s sweet. I’ll help you get to know him, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, T.” Jungwoo snuggled even closer to Taeyong, wrapping his legs around him tightly.

“You can’t stay like that, you limpet, I won’t be able to sleep.” Taeyong attempted to push Jungwoo away gently to no avail. The younger boy was hanging onto him for dear life.

“Oh, like you were sleeping so serenely when I came in,” Jungwoo said, sarcasm snaking around the words.

Taeyong glared at him, “Does that mean you have to thwart my slumber even further?”

“Yes, of course!” Jungwoo sounded far too enthused for the late hour. “You’re gonna kick me out if I keep this up, aren’t you?”

“Wow, it’s almost like you’re a mind-reader, Woo,” Taeyong replied with the same amount of irony as his brother had employed earlier. 

“You’re mean,” Jungwoo pouted.

“I’m tired!” Taeyong snapped back, digging his fingers into his stinging eyes.

“All right, all right,” Jungwoo detached himself and moved a civil distance away from Taeyong. “Good night.” 

“Sweet dreams, creature,” Taeyong settled into the bed and finally drifted off to sleep.

🍂

Taeyong spent the first half of the day of birds moving restlessly around their home and the surrounding land. Nominally, he was attending to chores but in actuality he was doing nothing more than distracting himself from the excruciatingly slow passage of time. He repeatedly checked the progress of the sun across the sky, wishing for afternoon to just hurry up and arrive already. With each passing minute he grew more impatient for his second meeting with Jaehyun.

Shortly after the sun passed through its zenith, he wrapped himself in shawl and promised his mothers he’d be back well before dinner. Neither of them appeared convinced but they didn’t inhibit his departure. Taeyong silently swore to himself that he would keep his word.

Navigating through the forest with a clear destination in mind differed greatly from directionless wandering. For one, because you did not pause to look at items of interest or stray here and there, the time required to travel from point A to B was substantially truncated. Taeyong reached the clearing rather earlier than he’d intended. Jaehyun most likely would not join him for some time.

Worried that if he ventured too far from the agreed upon meeting place, he’d somehow miss Jaehyun, Taeyong found a comfortable place to sit while he waited. The sun, still bright overhead, shone down on him, countering the slight chill of the spring day.

Taeyong called out to the songbirds and they swooped down to settle around him, one going so far as to perch on his shoulder. Motionless, he watched them peck and scratch at the ground, enthralled by the dexterity of their beaks and feet. Only their sudden and collective taking to the air alerted him to Jaehyun’s arrival.

“Hey.” The human boy lowered himself into the grass to Taeyong’s left. “You came.”

Taeyong was puzzled, “Of course I came.”

“Well, yeah,” Jaehyun explained, “I’ve just been struggling to believe that you are not a dream.”

For some reason, the comment warmed Taeyong’s cheeks, “I am real.”

Jaehyun chuckled, “Yes, seeing you a second time, I know that now.”

Taeyong, unsure how to respond, changed the subject, “Have you been well?”

Shifting slightly, Jaehyun pursed his lips, “All right, I guess. Just busy. A little bored. Well, except when…” Jaehyun petered out and Taeyong frowned at him.

“Except when what?” he asked.

“Except when I remembered this. Us, you know, meeting up,” Jaehyun seemed to be struggling to find something to do with his hands.

“Oh,” Taeyong nodded. “These past few days, thinking of you has brought joy to me too.”

Taeyong watched quizzically as Jaehyun spluttered and blushed, “Uh, really?”

“Yes.” Taeyong sensed that frankness was something Jaehyun was unused to – perhaps he should make more considered statements in the future.

Suddenly, Jaehyun was getting to his feet and gesturing for Taeyong to copy him. “Let’s walk around a bit. Is that okay?”

Taeyong rose fluidly, “Of course. Shall we just wander?”

“We shall,” Jaehyun giggled as he spoke. Taeyong searched his features for the source of the mirth but could find nothing decipherable.

For a brief stretch of time they walked, side by side, unspeaking. The silence was tranquil rather than awkward and Taeyong took it as a moment to mull over what he ought to say next.

“What’s your family like?” Jaehyun interrupted his thoughts. “Do you have siblings?”

“I have a brother,” Taeyong brightened as Jungwoo came to mind. “He is younger than I and his name is Jungwoo. And I have my mothers. My family is very close and very loving.”

Jaehyun’s face betrayed immense confusion, “ _Two_ mothers? You do not have a father?”

“Correct. Both of my parents are feminine people. Other families have different configurations, of course, but that is mine,” Taeyong recalled something he’d learned some time ago, “For humans, this is not the case, yes?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun replied. “Everyone has a mother and a father.”

“Why?” Taeyong had always wondered but had not the courage to ask.

“I-I don’t know,” Jaehyun stammered, throwing up his hands. “That’s just how it is, I guess? I never thought about it before. I know there are – I have heard of – men who love men and women who love women, but, well, things aren’t good for them.” Jaehyun’s tone became softer, saddened.

“How strange,” Taeyong remarked. “We do not make any such distinctions.” When Jaehyun failed to reply, Taeyong urged him gently, “Is something wrong? You have grown sorrowful.”

Jaehyun stood still and looked at Taeyong, his gaze a little glassy, “I can tell you this because I think you’re probably the only person who won’t curse me out over it: I don’t like girls like I should. If it were allowed, I’d marry a man.”

“But you have just said that is not permitted and, furthermore, is frowned upon.” Jaehyun nodded at his words and Taeyong supplied, “I am very sorry. If it is any consolation, I also wish to spend my life with a man.”

Jaehyun’s smile broke across his face beautifully, “Yes, it is. I have never—you are the first person I’ve met that feels the same way.”

Though this fact seemed inconsequential to Taeyong, he sensed that it was deeply meaningful for Jaehyun and he was grateful to have been able to provide it. He wanted very much to continue bringing such excitement to the boy, if only to see that smile again and again.

“Do you have someone who you like now?” Taeyong never could resist the urge to gossip.

Jaehyun turned bright red, far redder than he had before. “No, no. Not at the moment. Um, do you?”

Taeyong shook his head, “I do not.”

“Gosh, Taeyong, how’d you get us here?” Jaehyun had begun walking again. “Let’s talk about something slightly less embarrassing, please!”

“You are embarrassed?”

“Come _on_ ,” Jaehyun cast Taeyong an exaggeratedly pleading glance.

Laughing, Taeyong relented, “All right, all right. What of your family? What are they like?”

“My family is very small. Just my mom and I really. Dad died when I was a baby – I don’t remember him. I have a friend, Johnny, who is sort of like a brother. At least, he comes and takes my food a lot.”

They passed by an extraordinarily vibrant fungus which Taeyong leant down to inspect as he said, “Jungwoo snatches things directly from my plate at every meal.” He chose his next words carefully, “About your father: may he rest peacefully.”

“Thank you,” Jaehyun replied softly, having joined Taeyong in peering at the fungus. “This is thing is awesome. Do you know what it is?” 

“It is yellow stag’s horn. Isn’t it magnificent?” Taeyong’s eyes flashed back and forth between the fungus and Jaehyun, unsure which he preferred to look at.

“Shit, you just knew that right off the top of your head,” Jaehyun marveled.

Taeyong stood, mostly to conceal the ripple of pleasure he felt at Jaehyun’s admiration. “My brother is a grower. And he likes to test his knowledge by dragging me through the forest and identifying everything we come across. At this point, I am well-versed in most things that grow. Plants, fungi, or otherwise.”

“What do you mean when you say ‘grower’ – like a gardener?”

“Define ‘gardener.’” Taeyong found their repeated lack of understanding enlightening if slightly frustrating.

“Sure. I guess a gardener takes care of small plants, like flowers and whatnot. Then, there are also farmers. They mostly grow food.”

“Jungwoo is like a combination of a gardener and a farmer then. He cares for flowers, vegetables, mushrooms, even small trees. They are his life.”

Jaehyun’s eyes rounded, “Your brother sounds really cool.”

“He is,” Taeyong grinned, perfectly aware he was playing the role of proud older brother almost too well. Which was one of his preferred pastimes. “But you mustn’t ever tell him. He becomes incorrigible after receiving praise.”

Jaehyun laughed outright. “Johnny is the same way! One minute you’re telling him one of his pieces came out well and the next you’re wishing you’d long ago lost the ability to speak. Or hear.”

Overcome with laughter now, Taeyong and Jaehyun stumbled into yet another clearing. This one was far larger than the one they’d met in and almost entirely covered in wildflowers. Taeyong immediately broke into a run, flying through the high grass and shrieking with delight. When he stopped and spun around, back towards where he’d come from, he spotted Jaehyun. The boy was gathering flowers with great speed, clutching them in his hand as he plucked more. Then, realizing Taeyong was looking at him, he hurried to him, arms outstretched.

“It’s for you,” Jaehyun said.

“It’s for me,” Taeyong breathed, receiving the offering and meeting Jaehyun’s eyes briefly before they both looked away, abashed.

“You’re so different than I expected,” Jaehyun’s voice held a hint of disbelief. “They were so wrong.”

Taeyong’s brow wrinkled. “Who? What do you mean?”

“Everyone. Other humans, I mean,” Jaehyun’s expression became pained. “We believe all this stuff about you guys. And it’s not true. I don’t think it’s true. It can’t be true.”

Taeyong felt as though he’d been struck. By what Jaehyun had said. By how he’d said it. He was experiencing such a range of emotions that he struggled to identify any of them. The only thing that bore a semblance of coherence was the sudden desire to reassure Jaehyun, to show him that Taeyong was someone he could trust.

“Jaehyun, I would like to embrace you, may I?”

Jaehyun stiffened, “You want to give me a hug?”

“Yes.”

Body relaxing, Jaehyun replied, “You may.”

He spread his arms and Taeyong stepped into them, his head resting on Jaehyun’s shoulder. The boy’s torso was solid, the planes of it defined. He drew in the scent of smoke, of fire, as he inhaled. His heart raced as Jaehyun pulled him even closer before letting go.

“Thank you. And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” Jaehyun paused as Taeyong began furiously shaking his head.

“Please, do not apologize. I do not blame you for what you have been taught. And, I have learned things about you that I am certain, absolutely certain, are untruths,” Taeyong said, gaze falling to the flowers in his hands.

“Okay,” Jaehyun murmured as if lost in thought. “Okay.”

“I must go home soon,” Taeyong spoke reluctantly. “Should we return to where we began?”

Lucid once more, Jaehyun replied steadily, “Yeah, let’s go back. I hope you know the way because I wasn’t really paying a whole lot of attention.”

“I do know the way,” Taeyong confirmed. “But can you imagine if I did not? We’d be stranded in the woods together and I do not know if I like you enough for such a thing yet.”

It took Jaehyun a few moments to process before he started laughing. “I think that’s the first time you’ve said anything remotely rude to me. And with a straight fucking face, too.”

“I have no knowledge regarding that which you speak of,” Taeyong spoke evenly, face slack. Enjoying this.

“God, we need to work on your speech,” Jaehyun lamented.

“I am ready whenever you elect to teach me.” Taeyong assumed what he imagined to be a studious expression.

“Fine,” Jaehyun crossed his arms. “Let’s start with how you should have said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’” He surveyed Taeyong before continuing, “I’m going to regret teaching you that one, aren’t I?”

A beat.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to my supportive and just a tiny bit chaotic wife for giving me the motivation to keep writing this!!!


	3. tromluí na hoíche || eas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You seemed safe. And I was curious. I knew I might regret it, but I wanted to know more. About humans. About you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i get more excited for this fic every day. thank you to everyone who left comments, ily <3

Jaehyun wasn’t sure what possessed him to do it, but here he was seconds after having done it. Watching Johnny’s features contort.

“An elf? Seriously, Jaehyun? Fraternizing with the fucking enemy?” Johnny snapped.

“They’re not—he’s not—Taeyong’s a good person, Johnny,” Jaehyun insisted, immediately defensive.

“He’s not even a person, Jae! He’s a different species. Not to mention a species that literally hates us.” Johnny dragged a hand through his long brown hair, “How do you know he’s not using you to get info on us or something?”

“Because he wouldn’t. Taeyong is not like that.”

Johnny cocked his head, “Oh, yeah? Taeyong this, Taeyong that. Are you sure you haven’t just been brainwashed?”

“Yes! I’m sure,” Jaehyun was trying not to get worked up and in no measurable way succeeding. “Why did I even bring this up?”

Johnny grasped his arm. “No, no, I’m glad you brought this up because you need to stop, Jaehyun, you need to stop hanging out with him or whatever it is you’re doing. I don’t think it’s safe for you.”

“Not safe,” Jaehyun scoffed, frustrated because as much as he didn’t want to admit it Johnny might be right. “Taeyong wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“All right, fine, let’s say that’s the case. But what if you get caught?” Johnny placed his hands on his hips, eyebrows raised. “Hadn’t thought of that, had you?”

“We won’t get caught. And if we do, I’ll take care of it when it happens.”

Johnny laughed sardonically, “Oh, because the ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it’ method is _so_ effective.”

Jaehyun sighed, “Johnny.”

“I see that I’m not gonna convince you. Just…be careful.” Johnny paused for a moment before smiling ruefully, “Even if it turns out to be something of a death wish, at least you’ve got something to do now that isn’t work.”

Grimacing at the jab but relieved at the change of tone, Jaehyun nodded and toyed with the remains of his breakfast. He and Johnny were eating alone, his mother having left earlier to visit a market several towns over.

“Trust you to spend your free time having clandestine meetings with an elf,” Johnny had finished his meal and was leaning back in his chair.

“Shut up. You’re making it sound like I’m committing some sort of crime.” Jaehyun aggressively bit into a slice of bread.

Johnny shrugged, “Perhaps you are.”

“Perhaps I’m not,” Jaehyun rose from the table and gathered the dishes, taking them to the kitchen. “Perhaps we should go to work.”

“Perhaps we should.” Johnny brought Jaehyun his coat and he accepted it like the olive branch it was no doubt meant to be.

🍂

Spurred by his fraught conversation with Johnny and an inescapable desire to know more, Jaehyun sacrificed his lunchbreak (and, to a certain extent, risked his hide because there was no way he was going to make it back early enough to avoid Minho’s wrath) to sprint to the village’s small library. The last time he’d stepped foot in the place was years ago, when he was still in school and needed to grumpily search for research materials.

The librarian was the same wizened and quiet old woman as before. She gave Jaehyun a little wave as he came in and asked, her voice shaking ever so slightly, “Can I help you find something in particular, dear?”

Jaehyun hesitated before replying – he was nervous to let her know the purpose of his visit and yet she would be privy to it as soon as he brought any books to be checked out, not to mention that her assistance would mean he could get back to work all the quicker. Swallowing down his nerves, Jaehyun forged ahead, “I am looking for books on elves.”

“Ah. Follow me,” the librarian emerged from behind her desk and began shuffling towards the bookshelves, seemingly unfazed by the nature of Jaehyun’s request. He walked behind her, eyes trailing along the books' spines as he passed them. Realizing that the librarian had halted and knelt down, he pulled up short and joined her. Her gnarly hands drew an impressively thick tome from a bottom shelf and presented it to him. Jaehyun quickly grasped the book and offered an arm to aid the woman as she got to her feet.

“Try that and if you still have questions, come back and I will unearth something else for you.” The librarian gestured for Jaehyun to place the book on her desk. When he obeyed, she removed a paper from the small pocket adhered to the rear flap of the book and stamped it before replacing it and pushing the book across the desk to him.

“Thank you, auntie,” Jaehyun bowed his head fast enough to regret having done so and booked it out of the library, anxious and painfully aware of what awaited him when he got back to the smithy. Thankfully, his house was between the library and his destination so the detour to deposit the book in his bedroom only took five minutes.

As expected, Minho was displeased when Jaehyun appeared at his threshold, breathing heavily.

“You do know that lunch time is when you sit and nourish yourself, not go madly dashing off and working up a sweat, right?”

“Yes. I’m sorry – I had something I really had to do. I’ll get straight back to work,” Jaehyun located his tools and moved them around in a mimicry of productivity.

“Fine, but don’t complain to me when you’re hungry,” Minho said dismissively.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jaehyun tried not to smile when a few minutes later, Minho wordlessly placed an apple in his hand. He ate the fruit appreciatively and began attending to his tasks in earnest.

That evening, in the safety of his room, a candle burning on the night table, Jaehyun was finally able to look at the book. He cracked it open across his lap and flipped through the pages, unsure where to start. An illustration caught his eye, and he flattened the page to see it more clearly. A person – an elf, going by their ears – was depicted clothed in what Jaehyun assumed to be some sort of warrior’s uniform for it was much tighter and more complex than what Taeyong wore.

Jaehyun figured the accompanying text was as good a place to begin as any. He read carefully and slowly, discovering that his theory about the outfit was true. The section described the configuration, accoutrements, and strategies of the elven defense corps. A turn of a page brought Jaehyun to a history of violent conflicts between humans and elves. He’d already heard of most of the significant ones, but the book held far more information than had ever been available to him before.

As he perused the following pages, he couldn’t help but note that the vast majority of the confrontations had been initiated by humans. Of course, there was nuance – or at least the book’s author was trying to suggest that – but he had yet to find an instance where the elves had been blatantly on the offensive. What he did definitively learn about the elves was that when humans did battle with them, the elves almost always triumphed. According to the book, their armor and skill were superior and even a small number of them could defeat a markedly larger group of humans.

And defeat them they did. Jaehyun balked at the causalities associated with each conflict, previously unaware of the extent of the seemingly endless war. He closed the book, setting it aside and lowering his face into his hands. He could not fit the image he had of Taeyong into the narrative of destruction and death that lay between the book’s pages. Nor could he escape the sense that something had been omitted – something related to why _his_ people were always the ones starting the fight.

Jaehyun nestled under his covers, mind racing. He needed confirmation and clarification. He didn’t think anyone besides Taeyong could provide the answers he sought. And yet he was loath to bring up such a subject with the elf, afraid that it would tear a hole in the tenuous thing growing between them.

He tossed and turned under the covers for what felt like hours, unable to settle as his subconscious fed him a variety of disastrous scenarios. Just as he was beginning to despair of getting any rest, abject exhaustion forced him into sleep.

🍂

Jaehyun’s heart thudded against his chest as he stood, alone, in a clearing. It was night and no moon shone. But even in the dark, he could tell this was where he came to meet Taeyong. Thoughts of the elf prompted Jaehyun to look around, searching for him.

A branch breaking underfoot and the rustle of garments alerted Jaehyun to a presence. As the figure drew closer, he realized it was Taeyong: dressed in armor, bow drawn. The glint is his eyes was like nothing Jaehyun had ever seen before. Like the elf was out for blood. And the arrow, pointed directly at him (a remarkable feat given the lack of light), suggested that blood was Jaehyun’s.

Suddenly growing panicky, he managed a strangled, “Taeyong?”

The elf did not respond, nor did he lower his weapon, merely staring at him with unblinking eyes. Jaehyun resisted a vaguely masochistic urge to take a step closer to him. 

“Taeyong, what are you doing?” he rasped, his voice threatening to crack.

Again, Taeyong said nothing. His silence was eerie, frightening. When he moved his arm ever so slightly, Jaehyun lost any remaining sense of calm, spinning and breaking into a run. It was the sharp pain of an arrow between his shoulder blades that finally jolted him awake.

Jaehyun had never come to in a sitting position before. The sheets, damp with sweat, were tangled around his limbs. His breathing, stuttered and erratic, took several minutes to stabilize. His mind remained in a state of chaos for much longer. He couldn’t stop replaying the instant in which he met Taeyong’s eyes, the way they were devoid of any goodness or recognition. His recollections of the dream, still so vivid, felt like a premonition.

Jaehyun shook himself – which succeeded in little more than hurting his neck (again) – and peered out the window. The pale predawn light suggested early, early morning, but he knew returning to sleep would be impossible. He rose from the bed and removed the bedclothes. His mother would be frustrated: now she’d have to do laundry sooner than expected. She wouldn’t complain, but Jaehyun would sense her annoyance in the tightness of her features, the controlled aggression of her movements.

Dressing distractedly and sitting back down on the stripped bed, Jaehyun lit a candle and stared at it, deep in thought, until he could hear his mother in the kitchen. Splashing water on his face in a pathetic attempt to make it seem like he’d slept way better than he actually had, he left his room and joined her.

“Good morning, Jae.” His mother turned from the stove as she spoke. “You look wrecked – did you sleep all right?” So, the water had _not_ worked any miracles.

“Good morning, mom, and yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tossing and turning.”

His mother eyed him skeptically, as though she didn’t quite believe him, but returned to her cooking without prying further. Taeyeon knew that if things were truly dire, Jaehyun would tell her, but to question him otherwise would do nothing but upset him. And when Jaehyun was upset he shut down, became unreachable. He knew it was an unhealthy means of processing, but he seemed incapable of preventing the downward spiral into himself that followed any sort of emotional trial.

Taeyeon, a competent cook, always made good food but today everything she set before him tasted like wood. He only compelled himself to finish it to avoid arousing her suspicions. As he robotically assisted her with the cleanup, Jaehyun thanked the gods that Johnny hadn’t showed up demanding victuals. He certainly couldn’t hold a conversation right now and while his mother was accustomed to quiet at the table, Johnny would instantly demand to know if something were amiss. But more than that was the fact that Jaehyun would be unable to handle the combined forces of his…nightmare, what he’d learned from the library book, and Johnny’s doubts about elves in his current state.

After bidding his mother a laconic farewell, Jaehyun stepped out of the house into the street. A man passing by, whistling the tune of a well-known song about the week's end, reminded Jaehyun of something he’d completely forgotten: it was Friday. And Friday meant Taeyong. Throat clenching, Jaehyun hurried to the smithy determined not to let the turmoil in his mind mar his work. If he behaved oddly, Minho would catch on very quickly and he too did not possess the same level of consideration as Jaehyun’s mother.

🍂

The day seemed to drag on endlessly. Every time Jaehyun surreptitiously slipped outside to check the progress of the sun he was disappointed to discover that it had hardly moved at all. Due to his impatience, he continuously found himself rushing his work and had to repeatedly remind himself of the dangers of a job poorly done. Jeno sensed he was struggling – now and again he’d place a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder to ground him. Despite his youth, Jeno had the emotional intelligence of someone much older and Jaehyun took comfort in him.

Sometime in the afternoon, after Jeno’s third or fourth pat of reassurance, Jaehyun said to him, “I’m sorta useless today. I’m sorry.”

Jeno smiled sweetly, “It’s okay. I will help you if I can, and when you go home make sure to drink tea and get some rest.”

Chuckling, Jaehyun side-hugged the younger boy, “Why’re you apprenticing here? I think you’d be quite the doctor.”

“If he went off to pursue medicine, what would I have left?” Minho interjected, having just returned from speaking with a customer.

“Teacher!” Jeno admonished before clapping his hands over his moth, eyes like saucers.

“Oh, so now you’re getting sassy, too?” the blacksmith teased, eyebrows raised. “Maybe you should become a doctor after all.”

“I’m beginning to believe you hired us just to have someone to take your misanthropy out on,” Jaehyun said dejectedly, pretending to wipe away a tear.

“Oh no, my secret has been revealed, I must now go directly into hiding.” For a blacksmith, Minho seemed to have an unhealthy appreciation for the dramatic. “Now, please get back on task. You have an hour until freedom.”

The prospect of being with Taeyong so soon reinvigorated Jaehyun, both because he wanted to see the elf and because he was somewhat afraid of how it was going to go. Would he, thanks to his newfound knowledge, act or speak differently? Would Taeyong notice anything? If he did, what would he say? And how would Jaehyun even respond?

Needless to say, by the time three came, he was well and truly wound up. As he bid Minho and Jeno farewell and walked out of the village towards the forest, Jaehyun took deep breaths in an effort to steady himself. They didn’t really help, but at least he tried. 

Taeyong wasn’t at their meeting place when Jaehyun arrived and for a moment he thought he might be dreaming again. Taeyong’s approach several seconds later eased his fears: the elf stepped towards him lightly, smiling graciously.

“Hello Jaehyun. I apologize for the delay. I wished to bring you these.” Taeyong presented Jaehyun with two small and unbelievably smooth pebbles. He accepted them shakily.

“You’re good,” Jaehyun turned the stones in his hands, admiring them. “These are so cool. Where’d you get them?”

“In a river along the way. The constant rushing of the water smoothens them.”

“Is it far? The river?” Jaehyun placed a stone in each pocket of his trousers.

“The walk is nothing strenuous. In fact, we could go there now if you wish. There is a waterfall.”

Still reeling slightly from Taeyong’s kindness, Jaehyun nodded emphatically despite the fact that he probably ought to think a bit more before agreeing to follow a stranger to an unknown place. Taeyong’s features brightened and he offered Jaehyun his hand. A beat passed in which Jaehyun’s brain rocketed back into functionality and shouted for him to refuse. Then, he decided – or rather found he had no choice but – to ignore his conscience. Hoping he wouldn’t tremble and betray his frazzled state, Jaehyun grasped Taeyong’s bony hand.

The elf beamed and pulled Jaehyun after him towards a break in the trees that he’d never noticed before. Taeyong diminished his pace just enough for Jaehyun to draw up beside him. The two continued on, walking abreast. Unfamiliar with this part of the forest, Jaehyun looked around with curiosity. The trees were larger, mossier, and more densely packed, yet the spring sunlight shone through, nonetheless. Briefly, he wondered how he would find his way home should something happen to Taeyong.

Suddenly, the elf stopped and Jaehyun was forced to halt with him. He turned to look at his companion, questioningly.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong enunciated his name carefully. “There is something on your mind – do you wish to speak of it?”

Jaehyun blinked, unconsciously squeezing Taeyong’s hand and receiving a light pulse in reply. Then, in a manner entirely uncustomary for him, he began to answer Taeyong’s inquiry. “I read a book. About us—I mean, about humans and elves. About our history and our…uh…wars. It was—” Jaehyun inhaled. “I don’t know what to think.”

Taeyong nodded one before replying. “I know what you speak of. Our peoples have harmed one another. I have learned that time and again humans have attacked elves, often it seems out of misunderstanding. We have many differences.”

Growing confused, Jaehyun frowned, “Then, why did you speak to me that day? Why didn’t you leave before I saw you?”

Taeyong looked down at their hands, still intertwined despite the turn in their conversation. “You seemed safe. And I was curious. I knew I might regret it, but I wanted to know more. About humans. About you.”

“You sure about that last part? Sounds like I’m just being used for research purposes,” Jaehyun teased. The sincerity in Taeyong’s voice and features as he’d explained himself reassured Jaehyun immeasurably.

“No, no. You are my friend,” Taeyong insisted, missing the jest.

“I know – I’m just kidding. We are friends,” saying the word filled Jaehyun with a pleasant warmth. “And I—I will never hurt you.”

He wasn’t sure why he said it, especially since _he’d_ been the one having nightmares of death at the elf’s hands. But it seemed, all of a sudden, like something which must be said. A promise he wished to make. The image of Taeyong, murderous and mute, in his dream was rapidly being replaced by the sight of Taeyong – as he _truly_ was – before him.

“I will never bring harm upon you either,” Taeyong brought his other hand up and placed it on the one already linked with Jaehyun’s. “Shall we go now? To the waterfall?”

Rather than responding verbally, Jaehyun broke into a run and tugged Taeyong along.

“Wait, wait! You fool, do you even know where you are going?”

“No, not really. Tell me when to turn!”

A few minutes later, Jaehyun’s lungs were beginning to burn from the exertion. He was strong from his work, but his cardiovascular stamina remained meager. He slowed to a walk and turned to check on Taeyong. He needn’t have: the elf was breathing evenly, no trace of sweat on his brow.

“You’re really fit,” he said, awe unchecked.

Taeyong shrugged his silk-clothed shoulders, “We are all like this. I can run for hours. It is not considered uncommon.”

“Well, shit.” Jaehyun laughed, wiping his forehead with a sleeve. “I’m not like that. Can we walk?”

“You did run first. But if you must be a snail now, we will go at a snail’s pace.”

“A snail?” Jaehyun cried indignantly. “Perhaps going to this waterfall with you was a mistake.”

“I assure you that it was not. We are almost there. It is just ahead,” Taeyong pointed to where the trees seemed to cease, and the ground fell away.

When they reached the edge, a small gorge lay before them. The waterfall, a magnificent and substantial cascade, could be seen on the other side. The sight was exhilarating and yet tranquil. For some time, the two boys stood together, taking it in.

Jaehyun spoke first, tearing his eyes from the waterfall so he could rest them on Taeyong instead. “I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.”

“I think the same,” Taeyong murmured. “When it is warmer, we can return to swim.”

“I don’t know how to swim.”

“I will teach you.”

“You wouldn’t let me drown?”

“Of course not!”

“Just checking.”

Taeyong released Jaehyun’s hand and moved towards an outcropping of boulders to their left. He brushed leaves and dirt from one of the flatter rocks and sat down on it, beckoning Jaehyun to join him. Heeding the summons, Jaehyun settled beside him, close enough for their shoulders to brush against one another. As soon as he did it, Jaehyun worried that the gesture might have been too brazen. But just as he was about to shift away, Taeyong laid a hand on his thigh, right above his knee. Jaehyun remained where he was, barely restraining a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can we talk about Taeyong being the best daddy to his fishes??????? a good man!!!! so rare!!!


End file.
